Creating an authentic gathering space for coffee lovers, we provide unique tastes, cultural delights, and vintage goods from Istanbul, Turkey where coffee house culture has flourished since 1554. Our store is a new take on the gourmet coffee experience combined with a timeless journey to Istanbul where East meets West. Our team is launching our first-brick-and-mortar venture in the heart of northern Virginia, and we are thrilled to share Turkey’s culinary traditions and authentic coffee with our customers.

Don’t forget to get your complimentary online fortune reading, a tradition of Turkish coffee drinking, after enjoying your coffee. Make sure to order the combo called “Cup of Delight” featuring Turkish coffee coupled with Turkish delights or chocolate truffles.

We are also providing event-catering services in the DC metro area. We will serve parties of 1 – 1000 people with traditional coffee tastings and Turkish cuisine samples.

Turkish Coffee Lady is a women-owned business and is committed to inspiring women entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.

Thank you for visiting our site, and we hope to see you at our café soon!

Who is Turkish Coffee Lady?

Our founder and CEO Gizem Salcigil White is a Turkish American woman entrepreneur. She is also known as the Turkish Coffee Lady. She earned this recognition by starting an award-winning project called Turkish Coffee Truck in 2012 to share her passion for her heritage and build friendships between societies. Through her cultural diplomacy initiative, White and a group of dedicated volunteers traveled across America, Turkey, Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Canada over the past five years. Her work has been featured in many major news outlets including The Washington Post, Washingtonian, PRI/BBC, and Turkish media.She was even honored by the U.S. Congress in May 2012 for fostering friendship between Turkish and American people through their mutual love for coffee.

The project also received the Cultural Sustainability Award by Istanbul Tourist Guides Union in 2014. Gizem was named as one of the Top Young Outstanding Persons of Turkey in the culture category in 2015 by JCI International, and was awarded as one of 40 Under 40 Most Influential Turkish Americans by Turk of America magazine in March 2017.She has been donating her time and energy to the Turkish-American community in D.C. since 2009. She served as the president of American Turkish Association of Washington DC (ATA-DC) for four years. Washingtonians will recognize ATA-DC as the group that organizes the annual Turkish Festival every year in the heart of the capital.

Originally from Ankara, Turkey, Gizem is passionate about promoting 500-year old Turkish coffee culture and empowering women. She lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband and baby girl.

The Importance of Turkish Coffee Culture

Turkish coffee has a 500-year old history, an inspiring culture, and rich traditions. It is the world’s oldest coffee brewing method. The first coffee house was opened in Istanbul in the 16th century. Turks introduced coffee, prepared their way to Europe, and later it came to the Americas. In 2015, Turkish coffee was admitted to the "UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List" as a living heritage that was passed on by communities from generation to generation. There is a famous saying that goes “Bir kahvenin kırk yıl hatırı vardır - A cup of Turkish coffee is remembered with appreciation for 40 years” which means offering a cup of coffee binds a long lasting friendship.

History

Turkish Coffee is the name given to a type of coffee whose preparation and brewing techniques were invented by the Turks. It has a unique taste, froth, aroma, brewing technique, and presentation… in other words it has its own identity and tradition.

The first coffee was made in the Arabian Peninsula by boiling coffee cherries. The new method invented by the Turks revealed coffee’s true flavor and peerless aroma. The Turks introduced coffee to Europe where for many years it was prepared and consumed as Turkish coffee.

Turkish Coffee is made from high quality Arabica coffee beans from Central America and Brazil that are blended and carefully roasted, then very finely ground. The coffee is mixed with water and the desired amount of sugar and cooked in a “cezve”, or Turkish coffeepot. The coffee is served in small cups. The coffee is unfiltered and must be left to stand for a short time after serving to allow the grounds to settle at the bottom of the cup.

Istanbul was introduced to coffee in 1517 by Özdemir Pasha, the Ottoman Governor of Yemen, who had grown to love the drink while stationed in that country.

The Turkish public became acquainted with coffee through the establishment of coffeehouses. The first coffeehouse opened in the district of Tahtakale in 1554 and others rapidly cropped up all over the city. Coffeehouses and coffee culture soon became an integral part of Istanbul social culture; people came here throughout the day to read books and beautiful texts, play chess and backgammon, and discuss poetry and literature.

As coffee became a staple in palace cuisine as well as in private homes, its consumption increased dramatically. The raw beans were roasted in pans and then ground in mortars. The coffee was then brewed in cezves and served with great care to esteemed friends.

Thanks to the efforts of merchants and travelers who passed through Istanbul, and even Ottoman ambassadors, Turkish coffee’s renown soon spread to Europe and ultimately to the whole world.